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Australian golfing star Cam Smith has rejected the opportunity to join former LIV golfer Brooks Koepka in returning to the PGA Tour.
He will continue to lead Ripper Golf team in the controversial LIV series which moves to Adelaide on February 12 after kicking off the season in Saudi Arabia.
The LIV Golf tournament has been a success in Adelaide, but Brooks Koepka’s return to the PGA Tour has put pressure on Cam Smith (pictured).Credit: Getty
“I’m going to stay,” Smith said. “I have made a decision to come here, and I am standing by it. I’m really excited for 2026, so I think our team is going to have one of our best years yet.”
The PGA Tour opened the door for Smith and fellow LIV golfers Bryson DeChambeau and Jon Rahm to return if they accepted the same conditions as Koepka, who will forgo revenue-sharing opportunities and make a $5 million donation to charity. Koepka also ended his contract with LIV a year early, citing family reasons.
DeChambeau posted a message on Instagram to fuel speculation about how seriously he is considering the option, asking readers what would they do as he stood next to an exit sign.
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Smith, however, was resolute saying he was not even tempted to return.
“I have made my bed and I’m gonna sleep in it. I feel like I am in a really good place in my career and my life, my family life, and I don’t need to change it,” Smith said.
Smith said he was unable to give any indication as to how DeChambeau and Rahm might respond to the offer. Although he said it was a shame to see Koepka depart, he said he was not concerned about the potential impact it might have on LIV Golf.
“I don’t know what (DeChambeau and Rahm) are going to do. I think we have it pretty good out here, and I’ve made my decision and I can only assume that their call would be very similar,” Smith said.
“I think starting 2026, we are still going to have the best field that LIV has ever had.”
Smith said he wasn’t in a position to announce the fourth member of the Ripper Team, but speculation is mounting that Australian PGA champion Elvis Smylie will replace Matt Jones, with London’s The Times reporting the emerging star of Australian golf had signed a deal.
Runner-up in last year’s Australian Open at Royal Melbourne, Smith said LIV Golf had made significant inroads as it enters its fourth year, and just needed more time to replicate the popularity of the Adelaide tournament in other parts of the world. It will move from 54-hole to a 72-hole tournament in 2026.
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“It’s only four years old. I think everyone forgets that. It has come a long way in four years. I feel like we have got a lot of momentum as a league. I think it just needs time,” Smith said.
LIV Golf Adelaide has drawn more than 260,000 fans to The Grange since its inception in 2023 with bigger crowds expected this year as golf due to the extended format.
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